Twice Promised (The Blue Willow Brides Book #2): A Novel Read Free Page B

could.
    He snatched his jacket and hat from the peg behind him and opened the front door. It was almost dark, and the glowing streetlights lent a comforting presence to the evening chill. He turned the key in the lock and strolled down the sidewalk.

    Zach drove the ladies about three blocks to the edge of town, to a clearing dotted with a couple of cabins set among the vast expanse of rolling foothills at the base of the Bald Mountain summit. The night was clear and cloudless with a large yellow moon that gave off enough light to see. Greta’s eyes adjusted to the soft darkness that enveloped them, the distant sounds of the town in the background, and her heart fell when Zach stopped in front of a rough cabin made of hewn pine chinked with mud. She could tell that it was little more than a miner’s cabin and tried to hide her disappointment. She watched as he set the brake and then climbed down, turning to assist her and Cora.
    “Is this your cabin?” Cora’s eyes were wide as he led them to the door and pushed it open.
    “No. It belongs to a trapper friend of mine who’s away right now.” Zach lit the kerosene lantern on the table and turned up the wick. “No electricity here, but there’s another lamp between the two cots. A pump over there in the kitchen area supplies water, and the outhouse is out back.”
    Greta gulped and held her breath, afraid to breathe in the stale odor of tobacco and leather that clung to the air. One swift look about the cabin’s one room revealed a small table with two mismatched chairs, a round hooked rug, a couple of crates that she figured must be for extra seating, and a row of pegs along one wall where a pair of pants and shirts hung. In the kitchen area, an open shelf housed blue enamel cookware, plates, and a coffeepot.
    How would she ever sleep here?
    “Do you mean that Cora and I are to share this cabin for three weeks?”
    Zach stood with his hands resting on his hips and surveyed the one-room cabin. “I agree it’s not much to look at, but it’s better than sleeping out under the stars. There’re two cots over there,” he said, pointing toward the back of the cabin. “I’ll start you a fire since it’s a little drafty, then bring your baggage inside. Jeb always has a stack of firewood at the back door.” He slipped out before either of them could say a word.
    Greta looked over at her new companion, whose face was lined with worry.
    “This is not acceptable at all,” Cora said. “I shall be looking for other accommodations right after breakfast.” She wiggled her nose at the dust.
    Greta peeled off her cape and hung it on a peg, determined to make the best of the situation for at least one night. She watched as Zach quickly made a toasty fire in the grate to remove the evening chill, unloaded the rest of their belongings, and lit the other lamp. He appeared anxious to leave.
    “Ladies, you can take a short walk back to town and have breakfast at the diner if you’ve a mind to. Just put the tab on me. Later, we’ll pick up supplies that you’ll be needing for cooking.”
    Cora’s face showed wry amusement. “I doubt that I’ll be doing any cooking in this little hovel.”
    Zach cocked his head in Cora’s direction. “I guess if you find yourself hungry enough, you just might.”
    “I won’t be here that long. As soon as Jess meets me, this whole thing will be settled,” Cora commented through tight lips.
    “At any rate, will you be taking us to meet Jess tomorrow?” Greta said, reminding him why they were here in the first place.
    “Indeed.” He doffed his hat at her. “Right after you have breakfast, walk on down to Gifford’s Mercantile. We open up early, and I expect I’ll be there long before you rise. Get some rest. I’ll be waiting for you.”
    Cora’s eyebrows drew together in a frown. “You want us to walk ?” She took a stance with her arms folded, expressing her displeasure at the entire episode. Greta wanted to laugh but held